Witnessing Shadow Puppets Collection in Wayang Museum, Jakarta Special Region
Many types of attractions are available in Jakarta Special Region. That means tourists can explore the city wholeheartedly and find new places to visit. Located in North Pintu Besar Street 27, Wayang Museum is a worthy tourist spot for everyone. Wayang means “shadow puppets, actually. Like the name implies, it is the place to witness the collection of such pieces of arts from all over the regions in Indonesia and other countries. The museum is located near to other museums, as well. It is because they belong to the Old Town of Jakarta.
The Nuance
The size of Wayang Museum is not as big as its neighbors. However, it stores lots of shadow puppets, coming from Sunda, Java, Lombok, Bali, Sumatra, and other countries. According to the keeper, there are about 5,147 pieces of shadow puppets, which are stored in the museum. From the outside, the museum looks like a regular Dutch building, painted in white. There is a blue signboard hanging on the wall, so tourists would notice the building easily. Some trees and streetlamps are also seen outside. When it comes to the interior, the museum is clean and neat!
Exploring Wayang Museum
One of the reasons in visiting Wayang Museum is to learn about its history. The fact is the museum was called Batavia Museum and it was inaugurated by the Dutch Governor called Tjarda Starkenborgh. After the Independence of Indonesia, the museum opens for public. It was in 1975. The concept of the design was Neo-Renaissance, but it was renovated in 1938. Here is another important fact. There was a church before the museum was built. However, it collapsed due to a big earthquake. That means the museum stands on the land, where the church stood before.
Once tourists enter Wayang Museum, they may see a couple of “Ondel-Ondel (traditional giant dolls of Betawi). Apart from the collection of shadow puppets, visitors can find equipment and tools, which are used to perform a shadow puppet performance. These include Lampu Blencong and traditional musical instruments like Gamelan. The fact is that Wayang doesn’t always represent shadow puppets, but other types of traditional dolls, including Golek, Suket, Beber, Intan, Seng, etc. Even a famous doll Unyil can be seen there. It was used in a renowned 1980s TV program back then.
In the midst of the building (the base floor), there is a garden called Taman Museum Wayang. In the location, visitors can see some reminiscences of the Dutch. There is also a room called Punakawan, which is used for numerous activities. These include small performances, seminars, and much more. Near to the exit, there are some vendors selling souvenirs and interesting items! Not to mention toilets are available in the building.
Nearby Attractions
- Fatahillah Museum
- Fine Arts Bali and Ceramics Museum
- Sunda Kelapa Port
- Bahari Museum
- Bank Mandiri Museum
How to Get There
Wayang Museum belongs to the Old Town area. To be exact, the location is in Pintu Besar Utara 2. It is situated in front of Ceramics Museum and tourists can reach it by either a busway or Commuter Line. The destination is Harmoni Shelter and head to the Old Town.
Where to Stay
- Millenium Hotel
- De Rivier Hotel
- Cordex Hotel
- Jatra Hotel
Betawi Batik to Ondel-ondel Dolls, Featured Products of Betawi
As the capital city of Indonesia, Jakarta is not only famous for its skyscrapers and the title as one of the largest metropolitan cities in the world. There are many other unique things that Jakarta has to offer, one of them is the creative typical product of Betawi—the native people of Jakarta. As is known, Betawi tribe who inhabit Jakarta as well as parts of West Java and Banten have unique cultural products. For example, lenong. However, as time goes by, the existence of lenong is increasingly displaced and it…
Things That Make Tourists Surprised While on Vacation to Kepulauan Seribu
For Indonesians, the name of Kepulauan Seribu is already familiar. However, it is different from foreign tourists who rarely hear about the beauty of these islands. They do not think that there is a beautiful natural tourism that is not far from Jakarta. Want to know more details? When boarding the ship to Seribu islands, foreign tourists find it difficult to communicate with the ship’s crew, because most of them do not speak English. This is because the crew in Kepulauan Seribu are mostly local people who do not speak…
Istiqlal Mosque Becomes a Religious Tourism Destination
Istiqlal Mosque is one of the halal tourist destinations in Indonesia. The construction process in a number of areas of the largest mosque in Southeast Asia has been completed and has made it ready as a place of worship, study, as well as tourism. The Istiqlal Mosque has become an icon of Indonesia. Many tourists and national heads who visited Indonesia then saw the beauty of the Istiqlal Mosque. If you enter to the mosque, with five floors and one ground floor, you will see the splendor of modern architecture…
MACAN Museum, Attractive Vacation Spot in Jakarta
Jakarta City always becomes the center of tourism, especially for foreigners who spend a vacation in Indonesia. It is the capital city of the nation, after all. That means Jakarta becomes a perfect checkpoint before visiting other regions. Aside from that, it also has tons of attractive vacation spots that offer different themes. For instance, there is the MACAN Museum in Kebon Jeruk Sub-District. Tourists only need to reach Perjuangan 5 Street in order to get to the museum. So, what is in there? Well, the official name is the…
